boost wrote:
640 to 670 is a large range in performance. To play in 1920 I suggest at least a 650 Ti boost. I play at that resolution and have a 670 (4GB for Skyrim mods).
Yes, well I have a large range to look at

. Silence / quieteness is the priority. I've managed (with the games I play) even with the GT430 (just a little bit more beef would not matter at all!).
boost wrote:
The cards have a fan controller, unfortunately it's often limited to a minimum of 30% speed so the standard cooler will be audible at that speed.
That's too bad, as the aftermarket cooler options are very limited, it seems...
boost wrote:
Wild Penguin wrote:
GT640 and GTX650 (non-TI) have lower TDP, but if I will go for more horsepower I will also get more heat, too - but that might not be an issue, if my thoughts about scalability above are correct?.
Is heat a problem with your current system?
Heat is not a problem currently. The two case fans circle the air quite nicely to the GT430 even, at least according to the nvidia control center, the temps are always <60°C; also the CPU, MB temperatures are <60°C, actually I've rarely seen anything above 50°C. Usually at idle-ish (even with the room ambient going above 28°C) just above 40°C.
*but*, I suspect the nvidia control center might not show the right temperature, or then the VRM's get heated (they have no heatsinks at all on the current card). I get random resets when runnin graphics-intensive applications *sometimes* (but, never ever any graphical artifacts). Sometimes it throttles, but that could be because mythbackend running in the background

.
I believe the graphics card is defective, and / or my PS needs replacement - this is one of the reasons to upgrade.
boost wrote:
A card in the 650 Ti Boost - 670 range will draw ~90W-130W in games. The case you have has two 120mm fans, so the heat should't have to get trapped. Idle it's around 10W-15W.
However, if I put a large card in there, there will be a pocket of hot air left to it (the case fans are to the right and won't help there). In case yo meant I could try a passive card.... I strongly believe I
will need an actively cooled card (or, in case I'll go passive as I do now, the card should be small and with a small TDP).
boost wrote:
Wild Penguin wrote:
I've looked at the ohter MSI Power Edition cards, they would be quite quiet (according to reviews), and also they have more horse power. But all have some of the cooling device / shroud going past the PCB edge, and might be too high (if they will fit length-wize). The Cyclone wont fit, but a non-cyclone-one just might??? One good candidate (on the lower TDP / lower performance end) is MSI GTX 650 Power edition, but at 265mm, probably too long for the fusion?
None of them will fit, look at the specs page the you think might is 265mm long according to specs.
I believe I found some MSI PE card that was short enough, but I could be wrong.
Also, I've taken a bit more measurements. From the edge of an add-in card (PCB) to the HD-compartment wall:24,5cm. From the edge of a add-in-card bracket to the said wall:26cm. Actually, if I was so inclined, I could dremel away the wall to make room for a larger card, but I don't think I'll go to that length (pun indented).
boost wrote:
Nvidia's standard PCBs in the 650TI Boost to 670 range are very short, but not all manufacturers use standard PCBs. The longest PCB in that range that I#m aware of is 670 cards using the 680 PCB like mine, which is 256mm. It might fir in the NSK2400, but you would have to squeeze it in.
If the PCB is 256mm, that is too long, if my measurements are correct. If it includes the bracket, it might just fit. with ~3mm clearance

.
But thanks for your card suggestions, I will look into them.
boost wrote:
Aftermarket coolers are great in terms of noise but they are bigger than most standard coolers, worse yet often they are taller and longer and three slots wide.
The Arctic S1 I used on my last card and modified it (pryed apart some fins), it still worked, but it wasn't pretty. Arctic's cooler are too tall except for the Extreme III, which is too long. EKL/Deepcool coolers are either too tall or four slot with fan. Prolimatech MK26 is too tall and four slot. Scythe Setsugen 2 (if available) is too tall and not very powerful. Thermalright Shaman (if available) is too tall and four slot.
I looked some more at the Arctic cooler and game to the same conclusions. I'm still considering as one option, getting the Extreme III, and bending it. There should be room in the case if it were curved, and if I'm reading the specs correctly, the other dimensions should not be a problem.
boost wrote:
That leaves you with one air cooler that might be both available and size appropriate:
GELID Icy Vision unfortunately the
specs don't list any of the above cards as compatible. Some cards are based on custom PCBs and the cooler might work, but there are no guarentees.
I also got the impression it is not very effective at cooling, but I will look in to the review more closely.
Thanks for your input!